Ships



Jan. 10, 1967 H. LACKENBY 3,296,992

SHIPS Filed Nov. 16. 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor HARRISON LACKENBY AHan H. LACKENBY Jan. 10, 1967 SHIPS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 16, 1964HARRISON LACKENBY United States Patent 3,296,992 SHIPS HarrisonLackenby, 55 Warwick Square, London, England Filed Nov. 16, 1964, Ser.No. 411,519 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 25, 1963,46,462/ 63 2 Claims. (Cl. 11461) This invention relates to ships.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ship having aplurality of hulls so spaced apart in the athwartships direction andrelatively staggered in the fore-and-aft direction, and so shapedrelative to one another, that the surface wave systems between the hullsare similar but offset from one another in the longitudinal direction,or phased, so as to produce favourable interference and a reduction inthe wave-making component of resistance to progress of the ship, whilethe extreme port and starboard hull surfaces are flat so as not toproduce any wave systems or any wave-making resistance.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which FIGS.1 to 4 are plan views of ships according to the invention with hullsshown in full outline and interconnecting decks in broken outlines, thedirection of forward motion being represented in each case by the arrowA.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, a ship comprises three hulls 12, 14 and 16spaced apart in the athwartships direction and interconnected by acommon deck 18, the central hull 14 being forward of the other two. Thecentral hull 14 may correspond in form to a conventional hull in so faras are concerned both underwater and immediately above water. The twoside hulls 12 and 16, equally spaced on either side of the central hulland staggered relative thereto in the aftwards direction, are rigidlyconnected to the central hull by means of the common deck or otherconnecting structure. The side hulls 12 and 16 are each generallysimilar to one half of the main central hull 14 considering the latterdivided along its central vertical plane, the right-hand half being onthe port side of the central hull and the left-hand half on thestarboard side of the main hull. The sterns 2t) and 22 of the two sidehulls 12 and 16 are aft of the stern 24 of the main central hull 14 by alike amount, and the outboard flat surfaces 26 and 28 of the side hullsare, of course, plated over to preserve their buoyancy and producegenerally flat surfaces.

A special feature of the invention is the relative fore and aft positionof the central bows 30 and 32 and the side hulls bows 34 and 36. In thisconnection the bows of the side hullsthe port hull 12 has a starboardbow 34 and the starboard hull 16 has a port bow 36-are set aft of thebows 3t) and 32 of the main central hull 14 such that the wave systemset up by the bows of the central hull is largely cancelled out by thefavourable interference of the wave systems set up by the bows of theside hulls. The object of this is to reduce the wavemaking resistance ofthe three-hull combination and thereby to assist in its passage throughthe water. Propulsion may be effected by sail, or by means of a screwpropeller or screw propellers fitted at the stern of the central hull,or at the stern of each of the side hulls, or on all three hulls.Alternatively, the screw propellers may be fitted on suitable supportsarranged in the two interspaces between the central and side hulls.

The ship may be steered by more or less conventional rudders at theafter end of either the central or side hulls or both. Alternativelyrudders suitably supported may be fitted in the interspaces between thecentral and side hulls, more especially if the screw propellers are tobe fitted in the interspaces. If necessary, in order to improvemanoeuvrability and steering, a small amount of longitudinal curvaturecould be introduced into the fiat vertical sides of the outside halfhulls.

As with the hulls of single-hulled ships, the central and side hullswould be suitably subdivided by transverse and other bulkheads asnecessary to preserve watertight integrity in case of breaching. Theside and central hulls could be of normal or of simplified construction.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a ship 40 comprises two transversely-spacedhalf hulls 42 and 44 (similar to the half hulls 12 and 16 of FIG. I)joined by a common deck 46. The two half-hulls are displaced relative toone another in the fore-and-aft direction, the starboard hull 44 beingforward of the port hull 42, for the same reason as given for thethree-hull system of FIG. 1, namely favourably interference of the wavesystems generated by the inboard sides of the two hulls.

The ship may be equipped for propulsion by sail, or by one or more screwpropellers. There may be a screw propeller on suitable supports arrangedin the interspace between the two hulls, or screw propellers may beprovided at the stems of the two hulls.

Referring now to FIG. 3, this illustrates a modification of the FIG. 1construction. In this three-hull ship construction 48, the side hulls 50and 52 are forward of the central hull 54 by the same amount aspreviously aft, again to effect favourable interference of the wavesystems generated by the bows 56 and 58 of the central hull 54 and thosegenerated by the bows 60 and 62 of the adjacent side hulls 50 and 52.The hull-interconnecting deck is denoted 64.

Referring now to FIG. 4, this illustrates a modification of the FIG. 2construction. In this two half-hull ship construction 70, the port hull72 is forward of the starboard hull 74.

The hull-interconnecting deck is denoted 76.

The ships of FIGS. 3 and 4 could be equipped for propulsion as describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, respectively.

The term ship used herein and in the claims is to be construed asembracing any floating craft.

In the embodiments of the invention diagrammatically illustrated andhereinbefore described, the hulls have been interconnected by a singledeck. It will be manifest, however, that there could be more than oneinterconnecting deck; for example, decks could be arranged in tiers andbe suitably supported one above the other, with superstructures asnecessary.

I claim:

1. A ship comprising three hulls spaced apart in the athwartshipsdirection and relatively staggered in the foreand-aft direction, anddeck means interconnecting said hulls, the port and starboard hullscorresponding in shape and size to starboard and port halves,respectively, of the central hull considered as divided longitudinallyalong its central vertical plane, said port and starboard hulls, thushaving mutually-remote flat outer sides and single starboard and portbows, respectively, and the relative positions of adjacent bows beingsuch that the bows of the port and starboard hulls are spaced in afore-and-aft direotion relative to the bow of the central hull adistance more than one-third and less than one-half the length of saidcentral hull, whereby, when the ship is in motion, the wave systemsgenerated by adjacent curved hull surfaces are phased so as to interferefavourably with one another and so reduce the wave-making component ofresistance to progress of the ship.

2. A ship comprising two hulls spaced apart in the athwartshipsdirection and relatively staggered in the foreand-aft direction, anddeck means interconnecting said hulls, said hulls corresponding in shapeand size to starboard and port halves, respective1y,,of the hull of asinglehulled ship divided longitudinally along its central verticalplane and thus having mutually-remote flat outer sides and singlestarboard and pont bows, respectively, and the relative positions ofadjacent bows being such that the bows of the port and starboard hullsare spaced in a fore-and-aft direction relative to each other a distancemore than one-third and less than one-half the length of said hulls,whereby, when the ship is in motion, the wave systems generated by theadjacent curved hull surfaces are phased so as to interfere favourablywith one another and so reduce the wave-making component of resistanceto progress of the ship.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,753,399 4/1930Blair 11461 2,052,991 9/1936 Stack 114-61 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,169,3449/1958 France.

1,246,011 10/1960 France.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

A. H. FARRELL, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SHIP COMPRISING THREE HULLS SPACED APART IN THE ATHWARTSHIPSDIRECTION AND RELATIVELY STAGGERED IN THE FOREAND-AFT DIRECTION, ANDDECK MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID HULLS, THE PORT AND STARBOARD HULLSCORRESPONDING IN SHAPE AND SIZE TO STARBOARD AND PORT HALVES,RESPECTIVELY, OF THE CENTRAL HULL CONSIDERED AS DIVIDED LONGITUDINALLYALONG ITS CENTRAL VERTICAL PLANE, SAID PORT AND STARBOARD HULLS, THUSHAVING MUTUALLY-REMOTE FLAT OUTER SIDES AND SINGLE STARBOARD AND PORTBOWS, RESPECTIVELY, AND THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF ADJACENT BOWS BEINGSUCH THAT THE BOWS TO THE PORT AND STARBOARD HULLS ARE SPACED IN AFORE-AND-AFT DIRECTION RELATIVE TO THE BOW OF THE CENTRAL HULL ADISTANCE MORE THAN ONE-THIRD AND LESS THAN ONE-HALF THE LENGTH OF SAIDCENTRAL HULL, WHEREBY, WHEN THE SHIP IS IN MOTION, THE WAVE SYSTEMSGENERATED BY ADJACENT CURVED HULL SURFACES ARE PHASED SO AS TO INTERFEREFAVOURABLY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND SO REDUCE THE WAVE-MAKING COMPONENT OFRESISTANCE TO PROGRESS OF THE SHIP.